While it’s true that low-carb diets do raise the so-called bad LDL-cholesterol in some people, it’s important to note that LDL-C, when influenced by diet, has never been shown to have any effect on cardiovascular risk. Large clinical trials and observational studies show that one’s level of LDL-C and the lowering of LDL-C through diet is not reliably linked to cardiovascular outcomes.21, 22, 23
Need more tips to follow the DASH diet? You'll find a free guide that is full of meal plans, DASH diet food lists and recipes at the National Institutes of Health website. You'll also find a 7-day DASH Diet Eating Plan that guides you through a full week's worth of meals. If you want more help, there are other DASH diet guides online and DASH diet books that are available for purchase.
^ Freeman JM, Vining EP, Pillas DJ, Pyzik PL, Casey JC, Kelly LM. The efficacy of the ketogenic diet—1998: a prospective evaluation of intervention in 150 children. Pediatrics. 1998 Dec;102(6):1358–63. doi:10.1542/peds.102.6.1358. PMID 9832569. https://web.archive.org/web/20040629224858/http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press/1998/DECEMBER/981207.HTM Lay summary]—JHMI Office of Communications and Public Affairs. Updated 7 December 1998. Cited 6 March 2008.
Weight Watchers – the diet your nan used to follow – is no more. In 2018, the company had a re-brand, with the new WW branding signalling a move away from diet culture and into the wellness-sphere – hint: WW now stands for ‘Wellness that Works’. ‘We are not classed as a diet,’ a member of the press office team tells WH. ‘It is a lifestyle change – a healthy living programme that encompasses food, activity and mindset.’
But DASH—which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension—is far from a fad diet. Created by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the DASH Diet is designed to improve health in people with high blood pressure, a.k.a. hypertension. (In the U.S., one out of every three adults has high blood pressure, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.) U.S. News & World Report has named the DASH Diet the best overall diet for the past eight years.
With this eating style, you’re looking at a lot of menu planning and preparation. A review published in August 2017 in Nutrients suggests the diet could lead to weight loss, but the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics warns the plan could also cause certain nutrient deficiencies, such as in calcium and vitamin D. (3,4) And, therefore, according to an article published in the January–February 2016 issue of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, anyone at risk for osteoporosis should avoid it. (5)

I am a T2D, finally fully keto starting at the end of March. I am down 28 lbs. My goal is 50, so I am feeling encouraged and fitting into smaller sizes already. In May my A1C was 5.6. This morning, according to a home test kit I purchased from CVS, my A1C is 5. I believe that is fairly accurate based on my blood sugar readings, which are staying well below 100.

A survey of 1,580 low-carb consumers published in late 2017 by the Journal of Insulin Resistance45 found that while more than 11% of respondents reported using sleep-aids before beginning their low-carb diet, less than 5% reported using them after their diet. Moreover, nearly seven in 10 reported improved quality of sleep after dieting while only 3.4% said their sleep quality had worsened.

Cons: That same study on the perks of being a keto athlete also found those same dieters had a lower exercise economy (how efficiently you use oxygen while moving). And whereas pretty much every other diet offers flexibility in the macro range, eating a few too many grams of carbs or protein will knock your body out of ketosis, so you have to be pretty committed to see the perks of this one. Lastly, the low protein count required to stay in ketosis may be holding you back here: A study analysis in Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases found upping protein on a keto diet by just 5% tripled fat loss.
I’ve been type 2 for about 15 years was pretty stable with diet and Metformin for 10 years. But eventually started trying more aggressive treatment like Victoza and without fail in 4 years I was on slow acting insulin. I lost weight lowered carb intake to 40mg or less in the morning my breakfast has been no carbs. People need to realize every diabetic is different you must manage it how it keeps you with good A1C levels. I myself got off insulin for a year and half but my fasting levels slowly increased again. Reversing diabetes is not possible. Reducing the effects is possible and more likely the better you monitor yourself and do what you need to do. Depending on medications or diets or counting carbs will all help but not cure the diabetes. These all are things that reduce its ability to affect your health negatively.
Unlike other weight-loss plans, the DASH Diet Weight-Loss Solution plan does not involve counting calories. Even better? Thanks to the book The Dash Diet Weight Loss Solution: 2 Weeks to Drop Pounds, Boost Metabolism, and Get Healthy ($14.24, Amazon), all the hard work has basically been done for you. The plan comes with 28 days of meal plans and more than 45 recipes you can make. Accompanying this plan is the cookbook The Everyday DASH Diet Cookbook: Over 150 Fresh and Delicious Recipes to Speed Weight Loss, Lower Blood Pressure, and Prevent Diabetes ($13.77, Amazon), which is there to give you a helping hand along the way if you're stumped on recipes.
We do recommend everyone eat something every 4-5 hours to maintain a healthy metabolism. If your meals are more than 4-5 hours apart, a snack consisting of a protein and a carbohydrate is a great choice. The protein will help fill you up quicker and keep you feeling satisfied between meals. The protein also has a slower effect on your blood glucose than most carbohydrates, so when paired with carbohydrates, your blood sugar will not spike nearly as high. We recommend eating a protein with every meal and snack.
If you are pregnant or are nursing, you should not follow a Ketogenic diet. You will not receive enough of the recommended carbohydrates, vitamins and nutrients necessary for yourself and your growing baby on this diet. Your obstetrician will recommend how many carbohydrates you should consume per meal and for snacks during each phase of your pregnancy. They will likely refer you to a Certified Diabetes Educator for nutritional counseling as well. Please check out The Diabetes Council’s FAQ’ About Gestational Diabetes for all your gestational diabetes related questions.
Also worth noting is that low-carbohydrate, low-GI, and Mediterranean diets led to significant improvements in blood lipids with up to a 4–10% increase in HDL (4% in the Mediterranean, 5% in low-GI, and 10% in low-carbohydrate diets), 1–4% reduction in LDL (1% in low-carbohydrate, 3% in low-GI, and 4% in Mediterranean diets), and 9% reduction in triglycerides. [16]
He also told me that I was in horrible shape, that I would need a lot of medication, and that because I was T2, insulin would do nothing for me. I still remember walking out of the building after. I felt like shooting myself. My brother had just gone blind from retinopathy 2 months earlier. There was no hope for me. High numbers were inevitable. Complications were inevitable.
The benefits above are the most common ones. But there are others that are potentially even more surprising and – at least for some people – life changing. Did you know that a keto diet can help treat high blood pressure, may result in less acne, may help control migraine, might help with certain mental health issues and could have a few other potential benefits?